


With this ring…

by DoctorBilly



Series: Rouge et Noir [6]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Billstrade, Billyverse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-20 22:49:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4805096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorBilly/pseuds/DoctorBilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A secret is revealed. </p>
<p>Trigger warning: discussion of infertility</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"So you also have been abandoned."

Dimmock smiles at the peevish growl, waves an arm carelessly toward the small stage where Lestrade, Billy and Frankie are thrashing out an old rock anthem.

"Once the three of them get going there's no stopping them." He laughs. "It's a good thing we thought to book a DJ for later, otherwise they'd be up there all night."

Arkady grins.

"That would not do, of course."

"No. I'm hoping to get at least one dance with him in that frock…"

Dimmock shakes his head at a waiter trying to hand him a wine glass, leans in to whisper to Arkady.

"Don't suppose you know where there might be a bottle of vodka?"

Arkady barks out a laugh.

"Of course. I have seen one very recently."

He snags two empty wine glasses and disappears in the direction of the cloakroom. Dimmock grins and starts clearing a space at one end of the buffet table. By the time Arkady returns with well-filled glasses, Dimmock has a laptop set up and running video-telegrams. Arkady is in time to see two red-haired boys in red tartan kilts, waving.

"Some Logan clannish thing going on this week. Jack decided it was more important…"

"Hmph. And Mycroft was happy to send the boys with him?"

Dimmock shrugs.

"Dunno if I'd say happy, exactly."

"There is trouble between them?"

"No, I don't think so, but you know Mycroft. He's hard to read…"

"Da. I know."

The video loops to the next clip. Arkady raises an eyebrow.

"Who is this?"

Dimmock shrugs.

"No idea."

The clip is of a carabiniere in full dress uniform, standing in the prow of a Venetian police boat as it approaches the Rialto bridge. The feathers on his hat ruffle in the wind. His cape streams out behind him, displaying its red lining. He looks as if he is about to burst into song. Instead, he bursts into laughter.

"You said to dress in red and black! Congratulazioni, i miei amici! "

The video fades into the next clip.

"Ah, Regine."

"Yeah. she's looking well. Got her tattoos repaired."

"Da. I remember she was very sad to lose her koi. The new ones are placed differently, I think."

"Yeah, to disguise the scars from the burns. Never could see the appeal of tattoos, myself. Watched Bill have one done once. It looked really painful."

"His artist made it more painful than it needed to be. Billi had need of the pain." Arkady glances sideways at Dimmock. "You do not have any?"

"No. You?"

Dimmock mentally kicks himself as Arkady holds out his left hand. The missing finger is painfully obvious.

"Not any more."

Regine dances in the video clip, slowly and carefully. She smiles as a partner appears, sidestepping into the frame, his back to the camera. He wears tight black high-waisted trousers and a red satin shirt. Arkady frowns.

"The first time I saw him, he was dancing. He was so young…"

"You told me I had a lovely bottom…"

Arkady turns at the voice from over his shoulder.

"How are you here?"

"I managed to get away sooner than I expected. Mycroft got me on a plane…" Luce takes in Arkady's scowl. "What?"

"I thought you were in Iceland…"

"I was. And after that I was in Geneva, working on something with Regine."

"Something _secret?_ "

Arkady looks Luce up and down.

"You are wearing the suit at last. It looks very well on you. You had time to go home…"

"Yes. And it seems I'm not the only one with secrets."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret is revealed. 
> 
> Trigger warning: discussion of infertility

"So, you have been in Geneva?"

Luce nods, takes a sip from the vodka he has stolen from Arkady.

"May I ask what you have been working on?"

"You know I can't answer that."

"Humph."

"I should have come straight here, not bothered to go home to change first."

"Would you have been in time for the ceremony?"

"No. But I wouldn't have seen the letter you left on the table. Were you going to tell me?"

Arkady flushes.

"You read the letter?"

"No. Well, it was sticking out of the envelope a bit, I could see who it was from. And that there were test results enclosed. I didn't know you wanted…"He takes a deep breath. "Arkady, the test results…is there a surrogate? A pregnancy?"

Arkady sways, colour draining from his face.

"No!" He reaches out for Luce, grabs his shoulder and holds on tight. "No, Luka. I would not…"

Luce puts down the vodka glass and wraps his arms around Arkady.

"What then? What were the tests?"

Arkady rests his forehead against Luce's shoulder.

"Hero Luziya is ten. Lucille is four. I thought…"

"What? _What_ did you think?"

"I thought there might be a time when god-daughters might not be enough. I thought to deposit sperm in case there would be a time when you might want a reminder of your blond Russian…"

Luce looks around for somewhere to sit. The only place is the low wall where he had put down the glass. He backs toward it, pulling Arkady with him. They huddle close together, chest to chest, Arkady tightly gripped between Luce's thighs. Luce shivers, not just from the December cold.

"Are you sick?"

Arkady shakes his head.

"Going off on some dangerous double-o-ing?"

"No."

"Well, then. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather have my _actual_ blond Russian."

Arkady smiles grimly.

"I am glad to hear it. I asked Jack for details of the clinic he and Mycroft used. I thought it would be a simple matter of…producing a sample."

"If it's Mycroft's clinic they'd be really thorough…"

"Da. They test for sperm count, motility, abnormalities…"

He notices the vodka glass balanced on the wall beside them, picks it up and swigs the remaining contents down, drops the glass. It shatters.

"Do you remember the fuss there was in identifying Luziya's father? The missing samples, the missing data? It took years to establish that she was Grisha's daughter…"

"Yes. We all thought she was yours."

"Mycroft did not. He never thought she was mine, and he told me so. In all of the fuss, all of the confusion, he was clear on that fact. I should have asked how he knew…"

"There's a problem…"

Arkady laughs harshly.

"Da. My sperm have motility grade D."

"I don't know what that means, Arkady."

"It means they do not swim. And there are many abnormalities."

"Can they do anything?"

Arkady shakes his head.

"When I was a very young policeman, I was stationed for some time in Ukraine."

"Chernobyl…"

"Da. The area is still radioactive, even now. There is nothing that can be done, Luka."

Luce hugs him tight, kisses his cheek.

"I probably can't say anything that will help."

"I would have told you."

"I know."

They stay huddled against the wall. Arkady lights and smokes a Sobranie. Eventually, it gets too cold for Luce.

"Need to go inside."

"Da. I need more vodka. And I need you to tell me your secret."

"Geneva? I can't…"

Arkady shakes his head.

"Not Geneva. The _other_ secret you are keeping."


	3. Chapter 3

"Lucien! You're here! Dance with me?"

Luce laughs as Billy pulls him onto the dance floor. The DJ is playing everyone's greatest hits.

"All right. Is _that_ your outfit?"

Billy giggles, giddy with the excitement of the day.

"'Course not. I had a black suit on earlier. Slubbed silk." He giggles again. "Looked a bit like a vicar, to tell the truth. But I couldn't wear it on stage, and anyway, Greg likes me in lace…"

Luce mock-scowls at his friend as they match steps, not touching.

"Show me, then."

Billy holds out his hand. The ring is heavy, plain until it catches the light. Luce can make out faintly etched markings.

"What is it? Platinum?"

"White gold. What do you think of the design?"

"Fingerprint?"

Billy nods.

"Is it yours?"

Billy grins, shakes his head.

"His. And he's got mine."

Luce smiles.

"Are you happy, Bill?"

"Yeah. I am. Wonder why we left it so long."

"Sorry I missed the ceremony. And the speeches."

"Artie's around somewhere. He was taking video. Get him to give you a look at his footage." Billy spots his daughter on the edge of the dance floor. "Got to go and dance with Hero. Glad you made it, Lucien."

Luce carries on dancing.

 

*********

 

Arkady downs his third wine-glassful of vodka. The bottle is approaching empty.

"Everything okay?"

"Why do you ask this?"

Lestrade shrugs.

"Well, I know that Luce has literally just flown in and you haven't seen him for days."

"You should be a detective, Grisha."

"Don't be sarky. You two are always all over each other. Now, he's just flown in and he's in there on the dance floor in a very sharp suit _on his own_." Lestrade grins, shark teeth showing. "And you are out here drinking the best part of a bottle of vodka. On _your_ own. Doesn't take a genius to see that something's up."

Arkady smiles weakly.

"He is hiding something from me."

"He's a spook. We're all spooks. We _all_ hide things…"

"This is personal, not business."

"Maybe he just needs the right moment to tell you. He's just flown in, Arkasha. Give him five minutes. Let him catch his breath."

"He is dancing alone? I thought…"

"Bill grabbed him for the obligatory two-minute shuffle, but otherwise he's been on his own. Go and dance with him. And leave the vodka alone, now."

Arkady scowls, but lets Lestrade take the bottle and push him back through the side door into the hall. He scans the crowd on the dance floor. There is no sign of Luce. He walks carefully around the edge of the hall to the cloakroom. There is no attendant, coats are hung randomly on hooks, piled on top of each other. Luce is sitting on a low bench at the far end of the room. He has found Arkady's fur coat, and is leaning against it, eyes closed. Arkady sighs, goes and sits beside him.

"You are tired."

"Mm. I'll be all right in a bit. Just needed to rest my eyes."

"I had no right to question you. I apologise."

Luce smiles.

"Have you seen Artie Dughall? Bill said he was videoing everything…"

"He is here and there. But I also have video…"

"The service?"

"Da. I thought you would want to see."

Luce shifts closer to Arkady, takes his right arm and pulls it around his waist.

"Can you show me one-handed? I want to keep this one."

Arkady laughs.

"Da. I can. And luckily, I am left-handed."

He pulls his phone out and accesses the video library.

"Look at him. So nervous…"

"Did they do the traditional bridegroom waiting at the altar bit?"

"Da. Hero Luziya wanted to be bridesmaid, carrying flowers down the aisle. Grisha refused to be bride…" Arkady chuckles "Both Billi's brothers wanted to give him away. The so-unconventional Holmses. Grisha was much more conservative, apart from having a best man in a scarlet suit…"

"Theo was best man? Oh yes, I can see him. Here's Mycroft, nice waistcoat…"

They watch quietly as the small procession makes its way to the altar, Billy tense and a little shaky, flanked by his brothers, followed by his daughter in a full-skirted cream silk dress.

"I'm glad they didn't put her in black. Those red satin ballet shoes are nice, and that little bit of red net in the underskirt."

"Da. She looks like a fairy princess."

"I shouldn't be surprised he's wearing a flower crown. Sets off the plain suit. What's the sparkly stuff in amongst the flowers?"

Arkady smiles, pauses the video.

"It is a tiara Grisha gave him a very long time ago. When they first thought they would marry. Look at Grisha's smile as he sees it."

"That was a surprise, wasn't it? Sometimes secrets are worth keeping for a little while."

Arkady flushes as he takes in Luce's meaning. He restarts the video.

"Here's Theo with the rings on a cushion. We didn't have any of this bit, did we?"

"Do you regret having such a quiet wedding?"

"No. Shush though. Want to listen…"

Luce fumbles in his pocket.

"Are you going to weep? Do you want a handkerchief? Let go of my hand and…"

"Shush. It's the vows. _With this ring, I thee wed_ …"

Arkady gasps as he feels the touch of cold metal on the ring finger of his right hand.

"Luka…"

Luce turns and buries his face in Arkady's neck, whispers

"With my body I thee _worship_ …"

Arkady puts down the phone and wraps both arms around his husband. He looks down over Luce's shoulder at his right hand. The ring is wide, heavy, rose gold; a tiny anchor picked out in black enamel, a tinier heart picked out in red.

"This is what you were keeping secret?"

Luce nods

"I'd endow you with all my worldly goods as well, if I had any that I wasn't already sharing with you…"

Arkady sniffs, but cannot stop tears from forming. His vision clouds, but not enough to stop him seeing that Luce has tears in his eyes, too.

"I was going to give it to you for Christmas. I used the tattoo flash for the enamelling. I know how much losing the tattoo upset you…"

"More than losing the finger, sometimes."

Arkady finds Luce's mouth with his. They kiss, hard. They are still kissing when they hear the DJ announce the last waltz.

"Come and dance with me."

"I will be clumsy."

"I don't care."

 

*********

 

The dance floor fills. In the centre, a couple sway and turn; neither are expert dancers, but that doesn't matter. The mirror ball scatters light, and one man's red lamé jacket glints. More light reflects from the tiara replaced crookedly in the other man's hair. The compère takes to the mic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a final round of applause for our happy couple, Greg and Bill Lestrade-Holmes!"

The crowd whoop and whistle. Hero Luziya Violette Lestrade-Holmes claps her hands happily. Now _both_ her parents have the same name as her. Things like that are important to a ten-year-old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the Billyverse stories that started in [You Are My Only](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1850431/chapters/3980371)
> 
>  
> 
> Billy and Greg get their happy ever after, and I couldn't help giving Luce and Arkady theirs, too.
> 
> There will doubtless be short stories in the 'verse to come, but this was always going to be the end point.


End file.
